New moderation policy / process

In an effort to better serve the community we've changed the way users interact with our moderators. Please note the following:

1) As of now, the email address mods@arstechnica.com is no longer active. Don't use it to submit problems!

2) Instead you have two simple options:

a) Every post in both the forums and the front page comments has an icon on it like this: Clicking it (you'll need to be logged in to see it) will pop up a form where you can quickly fill out your issue. We automatically log your username and forum email, and a link to the post you're reporting and who posted it. That way the mods have all the info they need to follow up on the problem.

b) If you want to send a more general report, instead of email you can go to this page: http://arstechnica.com/mods/ There you'll find a handy form that does the same thing as the post report options. A link to this page can be found above in the nav, right under the search box, just in case you forget it. You'll need to be logged in, we're only going to take reports from people who are registered and logged in as a way to cut down on less-than-serious people.

It's that simple.

You can stop reading now if you like, but if you're curious about the reasoning behind these changes here's some more info.

Why kill the email option?Three reasons. First, the mods email address, even after filtering, was just choked with so much spam that our mods had to wade through a ton of filth to find your reports. They're volunteers, it wasn't fair to expect them to keep putting up with all the spam. They'll still have internal access for discussions, just the outside world is shut out. Secondly, this system creates organized reports with tagged subject lines that making it easy for the mods to quickly spot issues. So if you're a Lounge mod you could set up a mail rule to filter out Lounge problems into a higher priority mailbox for instance. When the mods have an easier job they can serve you better, we all win.

The third reason wasn't so much about killing email, just recognizing it wasn't the best option. It's just a PITA to have to fire up a mail client, copy and paste links to things, and even worse if you're on a mobile device. Many people have spoken up about this, and we've listened. This puts everything you need right at your fingertips, should be much easier to use. The contact form URL is /mods so hopefully just as easy to remember as the mods@ email address.

The isn't new, what's the deal?Right, same icon, that used to generate these terrible reports that were a giant pain for the mods to actually use. That system sucked. So we've replaced it entirely with this universal one, that gets your report in front of all the mods, in an easy for them to see and use fashion. The old report system is just like the mods email option, dead and buried. As a bonus, it works in the front page comments now (and if you're a sub using the forum interface for article comments it works there too, unlike before).

If you have more questions, bug reports, or suggestions then please take them to our feedback forum, be happy to read them.